MEETING ON BEGINNING OF RACVIAC'S WORK HELD IN BERLIN

ZAGREB, July 7 (Hina) - Representatives of 18 countries and the secretariat of the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, on Friday convened in Berlin to agree on the start of activities of a regional verification centre for the support to the arms control in the region, Croatia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The main offices of RACVIAC will be in Zagreb. Its director will be changed on the rotating basis. The first head will be a Croat. Prior to the official opening of RACVIAC, scheduled for October 2000, Croatia, Germany, the United States and Great Britain are to hold necessary consultations for preparations of the centre's work. Multinational Advisory Group (MAG) will control the centre's work. Present at the Berlin meeting were officials of Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey and the United States. Croatia's delegation was headed by an assistant to the Foreign Minister, Vladimir Drobnjak, who is the national co-ordinator for the Stability Pact. (hina) jn ms